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International Student Services

J-1 to J-2

Student to Spouse of Student

To qualify to change from J-1 to J-2:

  • Your spouse must be a J-1 visa holder with an active SEVIS record sponsored by BYUH.
  • You must be in good legal standing with USCIS (must have maintained full-time status while in school), and be a bona fide non-immigrant.

Before applying for a change of status (USCIS Form I-539), do the following:

  • Meet with Financial Aid & Scholarships to determine the spousal deposit required to receive a dependent DS-2019.
  • Once you have remitted the deposit and Financial Aid & Scholarships confirms payment, complete an e-form in Sunapsis to add your spouse as a dependent to your SEVIS record. Log in to your Sunapsis account to access the e-form.
  • Once the form is reviewed and approved by ISS, you will receive the dependent DS-2019 and can proceed with submitting the USCIS Form I-59.

Please refer to the instructions and details of the I-539 application to prepare the required documents.

Processing times vary, and an estimate can be obtained from USCIS.

Note: International Student Services only changes an immigration status on school records after documented proof of the change is provided.